The Body of Desire: Nonverbal Communication in Sappho 31 V: dis manibus Barbara Hughes Fowler

The Body of Desire: Nonverbal Communication in Sappho 31 V DIS MANIBUS BARBARA HUGHES FOWLER Christina Clark Creighton University Faivvvnetaiv moi kh'no" i[so" qevoisin e[mmen∆ w[nhr, o[tti" ejnavntiov" toi ijsdavnei kai; plavsion a\du fwneivsa " ujpakouvei 4 kai; gelaivsa" ijmevroen, tov m∆ h\ ma;n kardivan ejn sthvqesin ejptovaisen: wj" ga;r ãe["Ã s∆ i[dw brovce∆ w[" me fwvnhs ∆ oujde;n e[t∆ ei[kei, 8 ajlla; †kam† me;n glw'ssa †e[age†, levpton d∆ au[tika crw'i pu'r ujpadedrovmaken, ojppavtessi d∆ oujde;n o[rhmm∆, ejpibrovmeisi d∆ a[kouai, 12 †e[kade† m∆ i[drw" kakcevetai, trovmo" de; pai'san a[grei, clwrotevra de; poiva" e[mmi, teqnavkhn d∆ ojlivgw ∆pideuvh" faivnom∆ e[m∆ au[t≥[ai. 16 ajlla; pa;n tovlmaton, ejpei; †kai; pevnhta† (Voigt) Earlier versions of this paper were presented in 1997 at the American Philological Association meeting, the University of Minnesota, and Bowdoin College in 1998. I 2 SYLLECTA CLASSICA 12 (2001) He seems to me to be equal to the gods, that man, whoever sits opposite you and listens to you speaking so sweetly and close to him, and hears too your tempting laughter. Truly that makes the heart in my breast pound, for when for a moment I look at you, I cannot speak at all; my tongue breaks, and a subtle flame runs immediately beneath my skin. My eyes see nothing at all and a roaring fills my ears. Sweat pours down me, and shaking seizes me all, paler than grass I am, and little short of dead I seem to me. But all must be endured since …1 Sappho 31 has always been admired. We owe its preservation to “Longinus,” who quotes it as an outstanding paradigm of the proper selection and arrangement of poetic material (10.1–3). “Longinus” notes Sappho’s description of the simultaneous occurrence of the effects of erotic desire (10.3), and registers his opinion that all lovers experience the mental and physical “symptoms” of love which Sappho describes. Accordingly, “Longinus” thinks the catalogue of “symptoms” is central to the poem, which he interprets as a description of the madness of erotic love. It may be that these symptoms occur in real life; it is certain that they do not occur in extant epic and lyric poetry before Sappho. After briefly examining the ways in which sexual attractiveness and desire are depicted in early poetry, I will argue that Sappho is using the cultural codes of her time to create a playful parody, one perceived perhaps by only a certain segment of her audience(s).2 thank the audiences for valuable comments and questions. Many people have read different versions of this paper and provided advice and criticism. In addition to the anonymous referees, I would like to thank Debby Boedeker, Greg Bucher, Stewart and Marleen Flory, John Gibert, Andre Lardinois, Jennifer Larson, Don Lateiner, Bruce Louden, Laura McClure, Charles Segal, Marilyn Skinner, and Jeff Tatum. The flaws remain my own. 1 My translation, with debts to B. H. Fowler and A. Carson. 2 In this study I will not be addressing the vexed issue of performance context, which does not affect my discussion. The question of audience is, of course, also linked to that of performance context. Recent discussions include Parker, Stehle, and Lardinois. I would place myself in the debates as one who believes that Sappho composed songs for a variety of occasions, which were performed by both choruses and solo singers. I will state that I believe that Sappho or another performer sang this song in front of an audience of other females, most likely not in a choral setting. Further, I do not think that this song was performed mimetically by the speaker. CLARK: THE BODY OF DESIRE 3 Introduction to the Study of Nonverbal Behaviors The theme of e[rw" and its effects on the human body occurs often in early Greek poetry. Sappho 31 is always cited as an example of how the Greeks portrayed physical desire. The multitude of modern treatments of Sappho’s poetry which include discussions of this poem, too voluminous to repeat here,3 is a tribute...